The first time I visited Sango Bay was on a cold June day six years ago. It was in the 40s or 50s F., cloudy and windy. A misty rain had been falling off and on all day. My friend and I were on a bus tour. The driver was taking us from Thurso to Ullapool and our lunch stop was at the Sango Sands Oasis a neat little restaurant and bar with great food. I love eating there. It sits right above Sango Bay.
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| The view that made me fall in love with Sango Bay |
That day, six years ago, after eating, we went down closer
to the shore and I got my first glimpse of Sango Bay. In my eyes, it was the
most beautiful place on earth. I was stunned and mesmerized. I had to get
closer. I had to walk on that beach, feel the atmosphere and explore. At that time, a long set of wooden steps led down to the beach. Once down there, I took
photos and videos of the waves crashing into the huge black boulders. I enjoyed
the cold wind on my face. To me, it was like something out of a fairy tale. I
wanted to absorb the place and take it with me, because I only had about fifteen
minutes.
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| A cottage on the hill above Sango Bay |
I didn't mind exploring the beach alone. I loved it and felt a strong connection to it. I still remember
feeling like I wanted to stay there, or in the cottage above it, with that
amazing view. I promised myself I would go back and stay longer next time.
Two years ago, my husband and I went to Scotland. (His first trip.) I wanted to go to Sango Bay, even though it's a really long drive to the north coast. We didn't drive all the way from Glasgow to Durness in one day. That would be torture. We had already stayed at a couple places in between. We saw lots of red deer between Loch Ness and Durness and some amazing views.
While we'd been in Argyll a couple days earlier, a huge
storm hit, breaking down trees and knocking down power lines. We'd had a
power outage at the B&B where we'd been staying. Once we reached Durness,
the temperamental weather continued. Not as severe as the near-hurricane from
days earlier, but there were very high winds, sleet, and rain. We saw a few snow
covered mountains. This was in late May.
Although the weather was harsh, we went out and walked on the
beach at Sango Bay one day. It felt like February and we were bundled up in
multiple layers of sweaters, jackets and raincoats. My husband did not see WHY
I love Durness and Sango Bay so much. LOL Well, yes, the sleet did almost beat
our eyes out one day between the B&B and the car, but… shrugs… it was still
an adventure. When I write about a place, I want to experience it in all kinds
of weather. If I didn't experience the harsh weather, I couldn't write about it
and describe it in detail.
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| Strong winds blowing the waves |
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| One of my favorite views. |
This year, we stayed in Ullapool for five days and on one of
those we drove the 67 miles up to Durness for a few hours. Not only did I want
to visit my favorite spot, Sango Bay, again. I also wanted to do some research
for my latest book, My Notorious Highlander, which takes place there and in the
surrounding area.
I set one of my favorite scenes in the book at Sango Bay
during summer. I needed to know if it was ever warm enough for Scots to swim in
Sango Bay and the North Sea. Sure enough, several people sat or walked on the
beach and some were even playing in the water. I wouldn't have been able to.
Even though it was much warmer than the previous times I'd been there, it was
still only around 70 degrees F and the wind was blowing. I'm a wimp when it
comes to getting into cold water. LOL But I definitely enjoyed walking on the
beach on this warm, beautiful, sunny day in July.
At some point after my first visit, there must have been a severe storm that destroyed the set of wooden steps leading down the bank. Now, the only way to access the beach is a simple sand and rock pathway along the edge of the bank. Not easy to get down because it's very steep in places and there's no rail, but it's still doable.
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| 2007 |
I also notice that the amount of sand deposited on the beach of Sango Bay varies from year to year. The first time I visited, the huge pink sandstone rock at the far end of the beach was more exposed (above).
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| 2011 |
In 2011 the massive slab of pink sandstone has almost disappeared beneath the sand.
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| 2013 |
This year, the sandstone is becoming more exposed again. Of course, this changes the look of the whole beach because some of the smaller black boulders may at times be completely covered.
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| The sunny and warm Sango Bay in my latest book. |
Thanks for visiting Sango Bay with me!
My Notorious Highlander: Chief Torrin MacLeod vows to possess and wed the spirited lady who stole his heart the previous winter. But Lady Jessie MacKay wants naught to do with the dangerous warrior, no matter how devilishly handsome and charming he is. When Torrin arrives unexpectedly at Jessie's home, along with Gregor MacBain, a man Jessie was formerly handfasted to, she is thrown off-kilter. She never wanted to see either man again, but now they are vying for her hand. Torrin promises to protect her from the devious MacBain, but how can she trust Torrin when she has witnessed how lethal he is?
The more time Torrin spends with the strong and independent Jessie, the more determined he is to win her heart. Once she allows him a kiss, he feels her passion flame as hot as his own. After she knows Torrin better, Jessie finds herself falling for the fearsome Highlander. But the odds are stacked against them. The sinister MacBain is bent on kidnapping Jessie, making her his bride and killing Torrin, while Jessie's conniving younger brother, Haldane, is determined to use Jessie to take over the castle in his older brother's absence. Jessie fears she can never be with the man she loves, while Torrin will do everything in his power to ensure they are together forever. In his heart, she is the only lady for him.
Excerpt
During supper at Castle
Dunnakeil, one of the guards approached Lady Jessie MacKay at the high table.
"We have visitors, m'lady," he said, raising his voice over the roar
of conversation in the candlelit great hall.
Halting her knife in
the midst of cutting a piece of venison, she glanced up at him with
trepidation. Please don't let it be
Haldane. She couldn't deal with her outlaw younger brother. Although Dirk
hadn’t exactly left her in charge of the castle, she was the next oldest of her
siblings and of the highest rank here. Dirk's sword-bearer, Erskine, and the
guards were to handle defense. But if they had noble visitors, she was the one
left to entertain them… along with her other brother, Aiden. But his method of
entertainment was music. She would have to deal with everything else.
"Who is it?"
she asked with dread.
"Chief MacLeod and
Chief MacBain," the guard informed her.
"What?"
Jessie's mouth hung open. Noticing a few people staring at her, she snapped her
mouth closed and tried to contain her shock. Those were two names she'd hoped
to never hear again. "Are you certain? Torrin MacLeod and Gregor
MacBain?"
"Aye."
"What on earth are
they doing here?"
"They would not
say, but they're requesting entrance."
"How many men with
them?" her younger brother, Aiden, asked beside her.
"Just over a
dozen."
"I'll see what
they want." Aiden stood.
"Wait." Jessie
grabbed his slender arm. "I'll go, too." Why couldn't Dirk have been
here at a time like this? He and around twenty-five had left, traveling south,
a few weeks ago. They'd been planning to stop by Munrick Castle, Torrin
MacLeod's keep. He knew Dirk wasn't here. Was that why he'd come? To harass her
about marrying him? "Where is Erskine?" she asked. Her older
brother's sword-bearer would ken what to do if conflict broke out.
"Outside,"
the guard said. "But he wanted your permission before we allowed them
entrance. We're fair certain the MacLeods are allies, but we don't ken about
the MacBains since… eh…" The guard's face flushed.
"Aye." Since
her handfasting with him had gone sour three years past.
"I don't think
Torrin MacLeod wants to wage war with you, sister." Aiden smirked, his
boyish face taking on a pixie charm.
She rolled her eyes.
She could guess why Torrin was here, but MacBain? The man whose castle she'd
spent a year and a day at. She'd hoped to never see him again. Of a certainty,
at the time, she'd fallen for him, but since being away from him, she'd come to
realize what kind of knave he truly was. He cared for no one but himself.
Gregor MacBain was incredibly selfish and changed his mind as often as the
changing weather in the Highlands. He'd entered into a legal marriage with
another woman. Jessie had naught to say to him.
After pushing herself
up from the table, she crossed the great hall on shaky legs. But never could
she let either of the men outside see a smidgen of weakness from her. They
would circle and close in like hungry buzzards.
Stepping into the
courtyard, she saw that gloaming had settled over the land with a purple light
just after sunset, and a brisk breeze blew in off the North Sea. She, Aiden,
and the guard moved toward the iron portcullis.
Erskine joined them,
his short brown hair ruffled by the wind. He wore leather armor and carried a
sword at his hip. But he did not appear overly concerned. "M'lady."
He gave an abbreviated bow. "Both MacLeod and MacBain appear to have come
in peace. They wish to speak to you."
Jessie's stomach
knotted worse than the ropes used on the galleys. Saints! She gave a brief nod, though she did not want to face
either man, but for different reasons. She took a deep breath and placed a hand
upon the hilt of the foot-long dirk in the scabbard on her belt. She was never
without it. Not that she expected to have to use it on either man. But it gave
her more confidence.
As they approached the
gate, her breathing grew shallower and her sweaty hands more fidgety. She
clasped them before her.
Remain
calm.
Her gaze landed on
Torrin MacLeod first. A wave of panic and something far more disturbing washed
over her. The man was just as striking and attractive as the last time she'd
seen him, mayhap more so, with his compelling green eyes, long chestnut hair
and tall, lean frame. He was one of the few men who towered over her. But
looking into his eyes filled her with a mixture of dread, fear, and something
she didn't want to think about.
She quickly switched
her gaze to Gregor MacBain. His black hair was much longer than it had been the
last time she'd seen him and a scruffy short beard covered the lower half of his
face. His dark-brown eyes had once completely bewitched her, but now she could
hardly tolerate the sight of him. She had been so young and naïve when she'd
first met him.
"Lady
Jessie," Gregor said in a cheerful tone, then bowed deeply. His
conciliatory smile annoyed her greatly. "I'm so glad to see you,
lass."
"What do you want,
Gregor?" she demanded.
Torrin snorted, one
side of his lips kicking up in a half smile as he watched her with pronounced
interest.
Heat rushed over her
and she immediately felt even more edgy than before. No matter how disconcerting
she found him, she simply needed to ignore Torrin, but remain ever vigilant
around him for he was a dangerous man. She had seen firsthand what kind of
lethal warrior he was.
"Is that any way
to greet your husband?" Gregor cajoled.
"You are not my husband," she stated firmly,
sending him what she hoped was a cutting glare. "You married another
woman."
"Aye, but she
passed giving birth to my son. I made a mistake. I never should've left you for
her. I ken you must have missed me."
"You're wrong. I
hardly remember much about you. And our marriage was not a legal one, so you
were never my husband, in truth. 'Twas only a handfasting." She detested
the Highland practice of trial marriage for a year and a day, to see if the
woman would conceive a bairn, before the legal marriage took place. This, of
course, benefited the man, usually a chief who needed an heir. She would never
willingly enter into one of these arrangements again. She'd much prefer to
remain unmarried and be of service to her family and clan.
Gregor sighed. "A
storm is blowing in off the sea. Will you not let us in and feed us supper?
What of Highland hospitality?"
"I have no hospitality
or sympathy for you," she said, only now noticing the strong wind whipping
her hair and cooling her overheated face.
"Allow me to talk
to the lady alone." Torrin's tone was low and deep, but most disturbing of
all, he never took his eyes off her.
Vonda
Terry Spear brings paranormal fans a holiday story in the latest of her werewolf series, A Seal Wolf Christmas.
Navy SEAL Bjornolf is undercover as a newlywed with agent and wolf
Anna, who drives him crazy. It doesn’t make anything easier that they
have to pose as the aunt and uncle to an unruly teenage wolf. They
travel from the Amazon to a Christmas tree farm in Oregon for answers in
this funny and romantic adventure.Ho ho ho!! Nothing is better than a romance – except a romance set at Christmas Time! Join 
